A Spark That Becomes a Flicker, Becomes a Flame
by TheLastWaltz
Summary: When Shinji is hurt badly by Asuka, one friend's dying promise causes Shinji to change his life and find the strength he never knew he had. Reposted with the gracious permission of the author, eva-unit-01
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Spark that Becomes a Flicker, Becomes a Flame

Author: eva-unit-01

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or the characters therein. Another thing I sadly do not possess is money. So, please, don't sue me.

Chapter One: The Harsh Truth

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Shinji Ikari sat in his wheelchair in front of the large sliding glass that opened onto the balcony of the apartment he shared with his fellow pilot Asuka Langley Soryu and guardian Misato Katsuragi. It was now verging on two-thirty a.m. as he sat and watched the rain fall hard from the heavens. He turned his head as he heard someone stumbling around the apartment and saw Misato emerge from her room unaware of his presence. She exited the bathroom several minutes later, only noticing Shinji when his silhouette was illuminated by a bright flash of lightning.

"Oh, Shinji, I didn't notice you. Having trouble sleeping?" She inclined her head slightly and walked over to him as he nodded in reply.

"Yeah, a bit." She stood behind him and placed her hands comfortingly on the young boy's shoulders. He lowered his head and placed one of his hands on hers and squeezed, grateful for the contact. "Ritsuko said I have to spend five months in these casts." He paused briefly, remembering the smile on the false blonde's face. "She said she was grateful for the fact that I broke my legs. Gave her a chance to finally practice real medicine instead of working on the Evas all the damn time." Misato and Shinji shared a brief chuckle at the statement. Lightning flashed again outside while thunder shook the building to its core and Misato winced at the sound.

"Storms were never this bad before Second Impact. I guess knocking the Earth off its axis screwed up more than the seasons. Back then there used to be four of them. Now it seems like summer all the time, not that I'm complaining mind you." Misato's smile now turned into a predatory grin. "Speaking of summer, I bought a new bikini. Wanna see?" For a few minutes it seemed like Shinji had stopped breathing until his weak voice stammered out,

"N-No Misato, I'm o-okay. Thanks." As he rolled out of the room, Misato could have sworn she smelled rubber burning on the carpet and she smiled to herself as she walked back to her bedroom.

The next morning Shinji was awoken by a loud banging on his bedroom door and the last voice he ever wanted to hear.

"Dammit Shinji get off your ass and come make breakfast! We don't have all day!" Growling to himself, Shinji hauled himself out of his bed and onto his wheelchair before rolling out of his room and into the bathroom, getting cleaned up and dressed as best he could. But before he could make it into the kitchen, he was startled by Asuka's scream. He rolled in as fast as possible and saw something that would make even his father go into shock. Misato Katsuragi, three-time winner of the Tokyo-3 Worst Household Slob contest , was up early and making breakfast for the three of them. Misato turned to them and noticed the looks on their faces alternating between confusion, shock, and outright terror.

"What?" Was all Misato said as they sat down to breakfast, with Shinji drinking juice along with Asuka, while Misato and Pen-Pen downed their customary Yebisu beers with Misato cutting loose with her usual, "Yeeeeee-hawwwwwww" They sat in silence for a few minutes after that until Misato spoke up. "Asuka, Shinji's not going to school today because of his legs." Asuka looked ready to spit fire until Misato responded by telling her it was Ritsuko's orders. With that, the fiery redhead sat back down and glared daggers at Shinji, who just looked down at his plate.

"Spineless." Asuka whispered under her breath before grabbing her bag and running out of the house at top speed towards school. When nearly halfway there she caught sight of her friend, class representative Hikari Horaki in a seemingly animated argument with Shinji's friends Toji Suzuhara and Kensuke Aida. She joined them quickly, "Why the hell are you two stooges bothering Hikari?" Toji spoke up first, as always, but this time he grabbed her by the front of her shirt and physically lifted her off the ground.

"Because we know the truth about what happened to Shinji you bitch!" Hikari stepped forward quickly and tried to pry his hand off Asuka.

"You don't know that's what actually happened Toji!" Hikari pleaded frantically with the larger of the two boys.

"Bullshit! Kumakura in our class saw it! He saw the whole thing! Shinji landed at his fucking feet! How much more proof do you need!" Asuka had finally gotten her wits about her and landed a swift kick to Toji's nuts and he crumpled to the ground.

"Never fucking touch me again!" Asuka stormed off into the school while Kensuke helped Toji off the ground.

"Do you believe them?" Asuka asked Hikari when they had gotten to their shoe lockers. Hikari blinked, and looked down.

"I honestly don't know, I never would have thought that you could do something like that. But I've also known Kumakura since we were kids, and he's no liar." The pigtailed class rep looked hard at Asuka who simply looked back. "But if I find that it is true, I will never speak to you again." Asuka couldn't believe her ears and stormed away from the one friend she trusted. She entered the class room three minutes later and immediately found herself besieged by whispered accusations and hard glares. Five minutes later a short, skinny young man with black hair and thin wire framed glasses named Arihiko Kumakura entered the room and the whispers intensified. Asuka narrowed her eyes at him in an attempt to intimidate him, but he just walked past her without flinching. Half a minute later, Toji and Kensuke came in and took their seats, followed by Hikari. Rei Ayanami was already in her seat but was not staring aimlessly out the window as per usual. Instead, it seemed she was trying to burn a hole into the back of Asuka's skull with her eyes. The atmosphere in the room clogged with anxiety, apprehension, and more than a small amount of malice.

"Hey, Soryu!" An unknown voice called out from across the room and Asuka turned to face it.

"What?"

"I heard Ikari got knocked down the stairs"

"Yeah, so?" Ayanami turned her attention to the conversation and waited for the perfect moment to strike as the voice from across the room continued.

"I heard he got knocked down by you." Asuka stood up and slammed her palms on her desk.

"Anyone who says that is full of shit! Fuck you! If you wanna tell me that, tell me to my face!" Arihiko Kumakura was the first to stand up, along with Toji Suzuhara, Kensuke Aida, and seven other members of their class. "All you people are assholes! Shinji fell and if Misato ever asks that's what he'll say! I've seen to it!" Hikari's mouth hung open in disbelief as she tried to process what Asuka had truly said.

"S-so you really pushed him down the stairs?" Asuka sighed in aggravation and gave her an annoyed glare.

"Duh. Does anything really process in there Hikari? I swear some times you're as stupid as that baka S.." Asuka was cut off in mid-sentence by a forceful slap from a teary-eyed Hikari.

"You... bitch." Hikari wiped her eyes and walked away from Asuka permanently. Kumakura chose this time to make his move by picking up his bag and walking out of the classroom.

"Suzuhara, Aida, you know where Ikari lives right?" They nodded confusedly. "Well show me the way then." They grabbed their bags and ran to catch up with Arihiko who was already at the end of the hallway. The class rep charged after them and got there quickly.

"Why are you guys going to Shinji's?" Suzuhara turned around and looked back at her with a small smile.

"Because if he won't tell her the truth, it's up to us." Hikari's eyes widened before she grabbed her bag and left to follow them, leaving Asuka alone with her murderous classmates.

"Anyone else got something to say? Just step right up!" Someone tapped on her shoulder and she spun around quickly only to receive a heavyweight worthy uppercut delivered none other by First Child Rei Ayanami. Asuka felt her jaw snap together and was sure she heard some of her back teeth crack as her feet left the ground and her back connect with it. She sat up slowly and turned her head to spit out no small amount of blood. Asuka coughed and stood up weakly. "Nice punch, got any more." Rei narrowed her eyes at Asuka before speaking in a cold voice that reminded Asuka too much of Shinji's father.

"I've only ever struck one other person in my life, his name was Shinji Ikari, and that was a professional matter. This is most decidedly _personal_." and before Asuka could move she was struck again by a sweep kick that sent her back to the floor right before Rei's foot came down swiftly and made a permanent impression on Asuka's stomach.

While that was taking place in Class 2-A, Kumakura, Suzuhara, Aida, and Horaki continued their trek to Shinji's apartment, reaching their destination fifteen minutes later. Before reaching the apartment, Toji and Kensuke turned to Arihiko and spoke to him quietly and seriously.

"Okay, listen up Arihiko. Prepare to feast your eyes on a goddess." Kumakura raised his eyebrows in incredulity but kept listening. "Shinji lives with the hottest woman on the planet!"

"Uh-huh, right. And who is this dream woman?"

"His guardian, Misato Katsuragi" Kensuke replied, "She works for NERV as Director of Operations. And a more beautiful woman I have never seen in my life!" Arihiko sighed and looked at Hikari for help and sensing his distress she came to his rescue.

"Come on guys, we're here for Shinji, not to ogle Misato!" She grabbed Kensuke's and Toji's collars and dragged them to the elevator while Kumakura just sighed in exasperation. Upon reaching the apartment, it was decided that Hikari would ring the doorbell. "Because I'm Class Rep, that's why!" She declared in response to Ken and Toji's whining. Kumakura hadn't even volunteered.

Misato answered the door in her typical tank-top, short-shorts getup and was surprised to see the three of them there instead of in school, and even more surprised to see an unknown boy as part of the group.

"Um, hey, what brings you guys here? Aren't you supposed to be in class?" They all looked at each other nervously before asking to come inside. "Sure, no problem. But who's the new guy?" Kumakura bowed politely before entering.

"Kumakura Arihiko, at your service." She blinked twice at his introduction before closing the door behind him. He took off his shoes and sat down by the table next to Kensuke.

"So, you guys wanna tell me what you're here for?" Misato asked, as Hikari spoke up next.

"Well," she started nervously, "It's about Shinji, or more like what happened to Shinji."

"Whaddaya mean? He fell down the stairs right?" Katsuragi responded quizzically. Kensuke spoke up next,

"Actually he didn't fall...he was pushed." An unearthly silence fell over the room as Misato put down her beer and walked out of the room briefly and came back with her cell phone and her sidearm. Kumakura looked at her gun and then back at her and was met with a paralyzing pair of eyes.

"Do you happen to know who pushed him?" She asked, loading a clip into her gun. Kumakura took a deep breath and closed his eyes before speaking.

"I do. It was Asuka." Major Katsuragi looked hard at him before responding curtly.

"Bullshit. No way." Arihiko raised his eyebrow fractionally, looking over at her with a steady expression, and an equally steady answer.

"Ask Shinji."

"I intend to." Misato stated directly, narrowing her eyes at this new interloper who had somehow squeezed himself into her home. Kumakura shook his head vehemently,

"No, right now. This instant." Kumakura quietly requested. Misato gave him another hard stare before walking out of the room again and could be heard speaking softly to Shinji. She came back several minutes later with Shinji in his wheelchair. The others in the room gasped at seeing both his legs in heavy plaster casts. Shinji looked grateful to see his friends but confused at the same time. Yet upon seeing Kumakura, he panicked and tried to roll back into his room but was held back by Misato and Toji. Once Shinji was relatively calm, Misato turned her gun on Kumakura who was stunned by this turn of events. "What the hell are you doing!" he shouted, recoiling from the barrel of the gun that was now aimed directly at his forehead.

"Shinji was scared to death of you! You pushed him!"

"No way!" came Kumakura's terrified voice.

"Then tell me the truth!" Misato demanded. Calming his nerves, he began to do exactly that and told Misato everything he saw and heard and stopped as he recalled Shinji's pain-stricken face looking up at him from the foot of the stairs. Misato's hands were shaking with rage as he finished his story. "Either you're a terrific liar or Asuka is going to die." Hikari lowered her head and tears began to stream from her unseen eyes.

"S-she all but admitted it in class. M-my best friend nearly killed Shinji." She broke down and began to sob openly in Toji's arms. Ken and Arihiko remained silent as Misato looked at Shinji questioningly. When he lowered his eyes and began crying pitifully, she had her answers. As she sat there and saw the boy she loved as a brother crying at the damage done by the girl she once loved as a sister, she realized that the fragile ties they had built were fast unraveling and could not ever be re-sown as they were.

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Author's Note: Whoa, long first chapter! I haven't written this much in years! I hope you liked it. I'm not an Asuka hater, really! I just wanted to take her to a darker level. I'll try to crank out the chapters and I'd love a pre-reader if anyone can spare the time. Please, Read & Review or else I'll never get any better! But please, for the sake of kindness, don't flame.

Thanks for reading!

Sincerely, eva-unit-01


	2. Chapter 2

Title: A Spark that Becomes a Flicker, Becomes a Flame

Author: eva-unit-01

Disclaimer: You've read it the first time, so it goes again. I own neither Eva nor money. Therefore, suing me will help you gain neither.

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Chapter Two: The Wars we Fight Within and Without

Misato Katsuragi, twenty-nine years old had seen and heard many things in her storied life. Yet this fact, the grisly truth that a girl she had known since her years at the NERV branch in Germany had nearly killed the young boy that over the years she had come to know as a younger brother by pushing him down a flight of stairs at school shocked her to her core. She mused over this internally while holding Shinji's sobbing face against her shoulder and rubbing her hands up and down his back. Elsewhere in the room Hikari and Toji sat together, the boy holding her close to him while she cried over both Asuka's actions and the loss of the girl she once counted among her dearest friends. Kensuke and Arihiko sat across from each other, saying nothing to themselves or the people around them. Several minutes later, Toji was the first to speak up.

"So, what do we do now Misato? Wait for Asuka to come home from school or...?" His question was cut off by the sound of the lock turning in the door and everyone's eyes shot toward the noise. The entrance to the apartment swung open and into the apartment walked a bruised and battered Asuka Langley Soryu, accompanied by none other than the undamaged form of First Child Rei Ayanami. Misato narrowed her eyes at Asuka's and Rei's appearances and took in Asuka's disheveled state with a single glance.

"What happened to Asuka?" She directed at Rei who remained impassive and replied in her usual fashion.

"Pilot Soryu fell...several times." At that Shinji could have sworn he saw Rei's forcing back a dark smirk. Misato did not reply but took notice of the shock and hatred in Asuka's face as she finally noticed the surrounding company and with a burst of strength broke free of Rei's grip and charged Shinji hard, bowling Misato over in the process. She was a scant three inches from Shinji in his wheelchair before she was blind sided by Toji, who slammed her to the ground hard also taking Kumakura with her.

"You! You son of a bitch!" Asuka screamed at Shinji. "You had to destroy everything I was! Fucking hero Shinji! Angel killer extraordinaire! I was the best! Number one sync ratio always! Me! Never you, the spineless Third Child! But no, you had to show me up every single goddamned time! Even this fucking doll beats me! I hate you, all of you!" Misato wrapped her arms around Asuka's waist and tried to pull her off of Toji and received an elbow to the chin for her trouble. The screaming and shouting continued until Shinji spoke up.

"You pushed me down the stairs because my angel kill count and sync ration were higher? Is that your real reason?" Shinji sat in his chair, looking at Asuka in shock and sadness.

"Yes dammit, that's why! Because I am the great Asuka Langley Soryu and I must always win! You could never understand! You are nothing compared to me! None of you are!" She bared her teeth and lunged again before she felt a great pain and her world turned black. When everyone looked to see what happened, they saw Class Representative Hikari Horaki holding the sidearm of Major Katsuragi by the barrel while the butt was stained with blood. Hikari's hands were shaking as Misato gently pried the gun away from the rep, who instantly fell against Toji, crying harder than ever. While the group tried to make sense of it all, a low moan emanated from beneath Asuka's limp form and Kumakura emerged with a shattered pair of glasses and definitely looked like he had taken a beating of his own while Asuka had struggled to get free she had kicked and punched him several times while she had ground his lenses into the side of his nose with her knee. He coughed briefly and stood for a few minutes, assisted by Kensuke in order to regain his bearings. Misato spoke up next,

"Everyone ok, relatively anyway?" Kumakura gave a snort and took off his ruined glasses before replying.

"Aside from the glass in my face and the fact that my parents are gonna kick my ass over ruining another pair, I'm peachy." Misato winced and looked apologetically at Arihiko.

"I'll try and get NERV to compensate for those, sorry." She nodded to Hikari and Toji and they took their cue to leave along with Kensuke. She looked around for something and came up with a ruined cell phone. "Um, Rei?" Rei nodded and fished in her bag for her phone and handed it to Misato wordlessly. "Thanks." Misato scrolled through Rei's list of numbers and found the one for Section Two quickly, seeing as how Rei has very few numbers aside from Commander Ikari and Shinji. "Section Two? This is Major Misato Katsuragi, authorization number OD-621 requesting an arrest unit to my apartment. Suspect is currently unconscious." She paused briefly, waiting for a response from the other end of the line as Asuka awoke and jumped up to tackle Misato and knock the gun out of her hands and capture it herself. As the two wrestled about on the ground Asuka gained control of the gun and leveled it at Shinji. As this happened, Rei got to her cell phone and began shouting orders into it at the Section Two officers. Kumakura came out of the bathroom where he had been pulling the glass out of his skin and charged at Asuka, jumping on top of her at the very instant she pulled the trigger, the bullet piercing his flesh and lodging in his heart. Kumakura never felt the impact due to the adrenaline in his blood and continued to rain blows on Asuka who pulled the trigger two more times before Toji and Kensuke came bursting back in after hearing the unmistakable sound of gunfire ringing out from the apartment. Ten seconds later four Section Two officers rushed in, pulling off Kumakura and slamming Asuka face down to the ground and handcuffing her before leading her to their unmarked black sedan and pulling away only to let the ambulance one neighbor called pull up. Shinji rolled his wheelchair frantically to Arihiko, who was valiantly trying to stand, only to fall to his knees.

"Shinji... I'm dying aren't I?" His back was to Shinji and he was leaning on the couch for support. He craned his neck as far back as he could and tears were visibly streaming from his face. "He coughed and pressed his hand to his mouth only to feel something warm coat his palm when he did so. As he pulled his hand back, he saw that it was red with blood. He closed his eyes and yelled out, "I never wanted to die this way! I wanted a family, a chance to become something greater than I am!" He wept uncontrollably now. "Promise me Shinji, that you will become great for me. Be everything that I can't be anymore. Promise me! Or else this means nothing." Shinji cried and nodded his head.

"I promise Arihiko, I promise." Arihiko smiled, nodded, and pressed Shinji's hand to his bloodied chest. With that, Arihiko lost his strength and slipped to the floor, heaving a final breath before passing away.  
Almost instantly afterwards, the ambulance crew entered and attempted reviving the dead boy, to no avail. As they bore him away on the stretcher, with a sheet covering him from head to toe, Shinji howled in anguish and despair, Misato was rendered speechless, Hikari, Toji, and Kensuke all wept together, and for the first time in any of her previous lives, Rei felt tears on her face. And even after all their tears had been shed, Shinji did nothing aside from stare at his bloodstained hand as the words of his promise echoed resoundingly in his head for hours before he came to a conclusion. He wheeled himself into his room and found a Swiss Army knife given to him by Kaji as a present. He opened the large blade and grit his teeth against the pain before slicing open the palm stained with Arihiko's blood and letting it flow and mingle with Arihiko's. Shinji clenched his hand into a fist and punched his desk hard enough to bruise his knuckles and once again grit his teeth, except now, they were grit against the future.

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Author's Note: Not quite as long, I realize, and I do apologize for that. And I am sorry for killing off poor Arihiko, but he was only meant to get the story moving. Much darker chapter as well. But I would love to thank all my reviewers! You guys rock! And like I said earlier, without you guys I don't get any better.

Sincerely, eva-unit-01


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